Derbyshire researchers shortlisted for prestigious national award

A team of Derbyshire health researchers are in contention for a national award for their efforts to bring research to life and ensure that their findings make a difference to people across the county – and the country.

Derbyshire Healthcare's research team have been shortlisted in the ‘clinical research impact’ category at the 2016 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards for the way they have taken their work on dementia, mental health, self-harm and suicide prevention and given it a practical purpose – either through the Trust’s work, through county-wide campaigns or through high-profile national studies and partnerships.

In April 2013, Derbyshire Healthcare’s Centre for Research & Development – located at the Kingsway Site in Derby – was opened by Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS England.

Making research core business

Since that time, the research team has…

Contributing to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for the treatment of self-harm.

Shaping the way the whole of the Derbyshire NHS cares for people experiencing delirium – a state of mental confusion that particularly affects older people when they suffer an injury or become unwell.

Collaborating on a range of national clinical trials and research projects – in 2014/15, Derbyshire Healthcare was ranked as the seventh highest mental health Trust in the UK for recruiting 1,225 patients to take part in clinical research and carrying out 22 studies, according to The Guardian. The Trust’s research team has since increased participant recruitment figures in 2015/16 to 1,516 participants, and carried out 29 studies.

Overseeing dozens of studies and audits by Derbyshire Healthcare doctors and nurses to improve the way that the Trust cares for the people using its services.

"Helping the NHS to provide even better care"

Dr John Sykes, Medical Director of Derbyshire Healthcare, said: “I am delighted that the Trust’s research team has been shortlisted for this significant award. They have worked very hard to make sure that their research is practical and useful and that their findings don’t just ‘sit on a shelf’. In the process, the team have reached out and collaborated with everyone from the University of Oxford to Slimming World. They simply want to use their knowledge to improve people’s lives and help the NHS to provide even better care.”

"Fantastic recognition"

Elizabeth Moss, Chief Operating Officer for the Clinical Research Network East Midlands said: “I was really pleased to hear that Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had been shortlisted for this prestigious award. This is fantastic recognition for one of our hard working partners, who are clearly committed to increasing the delivery of research for the patients of Derbyshire.”

The winners of the HSJ Awards will be announced at a prestigious ceremony on 23 November 2016 at the InterContinental O2 in London.